Million Dollar Mistake (9 page)

“You noticed my eyes?”

“I couldn’t help it. I looked for them because they were generally hidden under that mass of hair falling in your face, sort of like an Old English sheepdog. I was surprised you could see anything.”

Her eyes narrowed dangerously. “I reminded you of a dog?”

He grinned. “Not exactly. You’re not what I’d call the most faithful companion.”

“That does it,” she spluttered, thumping him on the arm. “Get out of my room.”

Laughing, he fended off her attack. “Calm down.”

“You insult me and then tell me to calm down. Not likely.”

He grabbed her arms and flipped her over him and onto her back. “Damn, you always were a wildcat when you got your temper up.”

“I was not,” she said, managing to give him an elbow in the ribs.

“Were too,” he said, cupping his palms over her shoulders so he could hold her down. “Either you were a wildcat or you skulked around like a little ghost watching everybody from the shadows.”

She worked her leg out from under him and tried to buck him off of her. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He leaned his body weight back on her to keep her still. “I’ve known you since you were ten years old, sweetheart. I think I have a clue.”

“You know nothing about me.”

“Why don’t you teach me?”

“Maybe I don’t want to,” she said, her mouth pouting like a child denied ice cream.

“Okay, then, I know that you twist men around your finger until they can’t think straight.”

Raven stared up at him. “Everyone needs a hobby.”

“I think you’d better find a new one.”

Her bottom lip jutted defiantly. “Why should I?”

“Because your little hobby has landed you in the middle of a very sticky situation. It’s a good thing I came along.”

“Your coming along was helpful, but not necessary. What are you doing here anyway?”

“Not important.”

“It is too.”

“No, the only thing that’s important is that
you
are now my problem.”

She started wiggling under him, trying to get loose. “I’m nobody’s problem. I’m a free and independent woman.”

“Yeah, well Jackson is planning to change all that. Will you stop wiggling?”

Her squirming movements intensified as she panted, “Maybe your little announcement of our engagement has taken care of Jackson.”

“Nice thought, but I doubt it.”

She tried to buck him off. “Will you get up?”

He scowled down at her as his swollen member pressed against her hip. “Thanks to you, I am up.”

She went as still as a deep lake for a moment. Then a little mischievous grin escaped. “Again?”

Nicholas let her go, rolled to the side with a disgusted grunt and stood with his back to her. He grabbed his robe from the bottom of the bed, shrugged it on before turning to face her. Lord, but she was tempting. She lay there, all tousled and flushed, her eyes shining, laughter trembling on her lips. He started to say something that would cut her down to size, then changed his mind. “All right. It wasn’t just an automatic response. Satisfied?”

She lifted onto her elbows. “No. Continue.”

He glared at her for a moment, before admitting what he’d kept to himself when he’d seen her over the past few years. “You turned me on, okay?”

Pointing at her breast, she breathed, “Little ole me?”

“Don’t get too carried away,” he said, his tone dry as dust. “I might like touching the merchandise, but that doesn’t mean I’m buying.”

Her eyes met his, the light in them fading away. After a minute she said, “That’s good, because I’m not for sale.”

“Tell that to your father.” He could have cut out his tongue for allowing that remark to escape.

“What? What do you mean by that?”

“Nothing,” he said, turning away.

She scrambled out of bed and grabbed his arm. “What are you implying?”

“Nothing.” He’d said enough, more than he’d intended. He was reluctant to tell her the truth about her father, about the man she’d always adored. She’d find out about her family’s financial situation and her father’s scheming soon enough.

“Nicholas.”

With a gentle movement, he removed her hand from his arm. “Get dressed and packed, Raven. After breakfast, we’re out of here.”

Jackson ran into Lorianne just outside the dining room. “Hi, you’re up early.”

Lorianne gave him a patient look. “I’m always up early.”

“Oh, oh, that’s right.” He rubbed his forehead. “You’re an early bird, aren’t you?”

Lorianne studied him for a moment before answering, “Are you feeling all right, Jackson?”

“Sure, why?”

Lorianne tilted her head to the side, wrinkling her nose. “You don’t look well. As a matter of fact you look like you haven’t slept at all. It’s the same way you used to look when our parents had parties when we were kids. Remember, after our duty appearances, we wanted to disappear so we could stay up to watch horror films all night.”

Jackson grinned at her. “You used to hide your eyes when the scary parts came on. Then you fell asleep on the sofa.”

“I did not. You imagined that.”

“No, I didn’t. You even snored.”

Lorianne punched his arm. “You take that back.”

Jackson faked a flinch, then said, “Those were happy times, weren’t they?”

“You sound as if happy times are over.”

“It feels like it.”

Lorianne frowned. “Jackson, what happened to your positive attitude?”

“It sank when Nicholas showed up last night. Do you really believe they’re involved?”

Lorianne stared at him and then turned on her heel to enter the dining room. She paused at the door, quoting over her shoulder, “There’s none so blind as those who will not see.”

Nicholas and Raven paused in the entrance of the dining room. The entire family was assembled there, much to Raven’s surprise. As if the two of them were the main feature, all eyes focused on them. Lorianne and Margaret stopped their conversation, J.R. glanced up from his piled-high plate and Nana gave them a queenly nod as Jackson turned from the buffet to serve her.

Raven hesitated, but felt Nicholas’s hand in the center of her back supporting her, urging her forward. She took a reluctant step inside, saying in her gayest voice, “Good morning, everyone. Did you all sleep well? I slept wonderfully. It must be this country air.”

“The windows were closed, pet, and sleep was the last thing on our minds, remember?” Nicholas’s suggestive comment hit the room like a hundred-pound weight dropped from a forty-story building.

So much for civility, Raven thought as Jackson threw them a dagger-sharp glare.

Nicholas wrapped his arms around Raven and announced, “Did I mention that we’re engaged?”

Raven could almost hear the huge sigh of relief from Jackson’s parents, which rather ticked her off. She wouldn’t have been that bad for their son. She wasn’t a leper, for heaven’s sake. She’d had no intention of getting seriously involved with him, but it was the principle of the thing.

J.R. tipped his coffee cup in their direction. “I can’t tell you how delightful that news is to everyone.” Obviously, he was pretending last night’s hallway scene didn’t happen.

“Not everyone, Father,” Jackson denied.

J.R. barreled on as if his son was invisible. “To think we had some small role in reuniting the two of you. Isn’t that great, Margaret?”

“Oh yes.” Margaret cracked a small smile. “Wonderful, wonderful news.”

“Wonderful,” Lorianne echoed.

Nicholas snorted in Raven’s ear. She sent him a look over her shoulder.

“Like a fairy tale,” Margaret continued.

“The fair princess rescued by the dashing prince,” Lorianne added.

At that, Nicholas started coughing to disguise his fit of laughter, at Lorianne’s ironic comment. Raven unwrapped herself from his arms and turned to give him a thump on the back, hissing, “Shut up.”

“I think you’re confusing your folklore, Lorianne,” Jackson said, not bothering to look at her, keeping his hard gaze on Nicholas instead. “This entire thing is more like Beauty and the Beast.”

Nicholas straightened at Jackson’s comment, but before he could open his mouth, Raven leaped in to play the tactful smoother-over. A role as foreign to her as a chew toy to a toothless lion.

“I wonder who he was calling the beast, darling,” she said in a light tone to Nicholas.

It was enough to make Nicholas relax a bit, but the look on his face told Raven he’d deal with Jackson later. A glance at Jackson revealed he would welcome the opportunity.

Nana called a halt to the testosterone display by saying with a wicked sparkle, “Now that the cocks have finished crowing, I think we should have mimosas to celebrate. Don’t you agree, Margaret?”

Margaret responded. “What a delightful idea. Orange juice and champagne is a lovely way to start the day.” She bustled out of the room to make the arrangements.

“Don’t just stand there like lost children,” Nana continued, patting the chairs near her. “Come and have breakfast.”

Again Raven felt the urge to run and was surprised to feel Nicholas also hesitate. Could he be as reluctant to prolong their visit as she? She glanced back at him, but his only response was a brief look, after which he sighed. She started to say something when the pressure of his palm at her waist gently moved her forward.

He settled her in her chair before continuing on to Nana’s. Raven watched as Nicholas grinned then lifted Nana’s hand to his lips for a brief salute. “You’re really enjoying this situation, aren’t you, ma’am?”

Nana chuckled. “I find it highly amusing. You young people are so dramatic.” She glanced at her grandson who had turned back to the buffet. “It’s better than television.”

Jackson brought a plate of fresh fruit back to his grandmother then took a seat beside her. “Anything is better than TV, Nana. Especially those soap operas you’ve become so addicted to.”

“When you’re as old as I am, boy, you have to live vicariously. No man my age can keep up with me.”

Nicholas winked at her. “Then the men in your world are sadly lacking.”

Nana cackled. “That’s right. No stamina.”

Raven laughed. “Not your problem, I suppose?”

Lorianne giggled then covered her mouth as Nana wagged a finger at Raven. “If I were twenty years younger, you wouldn’t have a chance.”

Raven nodded. “I’d fight you for him.”

With an abrupt move, Jackson pushed his chair back and stood up. “I’ll see if Mother needs some help.”

“Good idea,” J.R. said, looking up from his loaded plate. “Lorianne, pass the coffee, please.”

It was another half hour and a couple of celebratory mimosas later before Raven could mention the real reason they’d come into the dining room in the first place. “This has been so lovely that I hate to cut my…um, our,” she added with a quick glance at Nicholas, “visit short, but we must be on our way.”

“Your way where?” asked Lorianne.

For a moment Raven was speechless. They hadn’t discussed that.

“Back to New York for a few days while I finish some business and then on to Virginia,” Nicholas answered, smooth as a still lake.

Lorianne rested her elbow on the table, cupping her chin as she stared at Nicholas. “What’s in Virginia?”

“My home. It’s time Raven became reacquainted with it.” His chocolate tone, accompanied by the left hand that covered Raven’s shoulder, left no doubt that he intended to re-introduce Raven to his bedroom as soon as possible.

Jackson’s expression darkened another notch as he looked from Nicholas to Raven.

Margaret smiled and said brightly, “Virginia must be so lovely this time of year.”

J.R. looked at his wife as if she’d lost her mind. “It’s the middle of winter there, Margaret, and the entire East Coast is braced for another big snow storm.”

“Oh well.” Margaret shrugged. “Snow is lovely too.”

“I’m glad you think so, my dear, because we have a lot of it at the moment.” J.R. stared down the table at Nicholas. “I hate to tell you, but you won’t be going anywhere today. Probably not for a few days.”

Nicholas frowned. “The roads are that bad?”

“Damn near impossible at the moment.”

Raven was horrified at the thought of another few days spent in this awkward situation, even if it was of her own making—sort of. “But this is upstate New York. You’re used to snow.”

“The snow fell too fast and over too large an area for the crews to keep up. The state and local crews are out in full force—”

“Then—” Raven still hoped it was a mistake.

“They haven’t made a dent. You’re still not going anywhere,” J.R. said.

There was complete silence for a moment. Silence so loud Raven could hear it screaming. The only consolation was that Lorianne and Margaret looked as dismayed as she probably did, while Nicholas looked rather grim. The only one who looked pleased was Jackson.